Prerequisites

Can I take an ECE course without the prerequisites?

The department recommends you complete and pass the prerequisites for the ECE core courses. Learning the material in the prerequisite courses helps students understand and be successful in more advanced courses.

Do I have to follow the prerequisites for ECE Courses?

Yes, you are required to complete all prerequisites for an ECE course.  There will be no exceptions, especially for the core courses: ECE 35-65 and 100-109. However, you may take ECE 65 with ECE 100 concurrently and ECE 100 with ECE 102 concurrently with department approval through the Enrollment Authorization System (EASy).

I really want to take the ECE course without the prerequisites and I really think I can do it. What should I do?

Students who do not have prerequisites and want to enroll in a specific course, will need faculty approval through the Enrollment Authorization System (EASy).

I received faculty approval to enroll in a course without completing the prerequisites. What's the next step?

Students with faculty approval will be cleared to enroll starting week 10 of the quarter to allow students who have completed prerequisites to enroll first.

What if the course is now full?

Getting faculty approval and being cleared to enroll in the course will not guarantee you a spot. You'll need to place yourself on the Wait List.

Courses

Can I take my major courses Pass/No Pass?

No, the ECE Department does not accept Pass/No Pass grades for all major requirements (i.e. Math, Physics, Chem, ECE, etc.). You are required to take all major courses for a letter grade and pass them with a C- or better.

For SP20, FA20, WI21, and SP21 ONLY, major courses can be taken P/NP and P grades will satisfy major requirements.

How do I take courses concurrently?

You may take ECE 65 and ECE 100 or ECE 100 and ECE 102 concurrently. You will need to get clearance to enroll through the Enrollment Authorization System (EASy).

I’m an EE major. Do I need to take a Physics lab?

No, you are not required to take the Physics lab (i.e. Physics 2AL, 2BL, etc.).

Can I graduate if I received a D in any courses that I used towards my major requirements?

No, you cannot graduate if you have any D or F grades in your major courses. You will need to repeat the course and achieve at least a C- or better.

Can I substitute ECE 109 with any other course?

No. ECE 109 must be taken as it is a core Breadth course and designed specifically for ECE majors. Please do not take Econ 120A, MAE 108, Math 180 A-B, Math 183, or Math 186. These courses have duplicate credit with ECE 109 and thus credit will not be allowed for these courses. If you end up taking one of these courses, you will only receive credit for one course. If you end up taking any of these classes before ECE 109, you will still be required to complete ECE 109 and receive one unit for the course.

If a certain course that I want to take is full and I am on the waitlist, how likely will the department allow more students in or add another section?

The department will try to accommodate as much as possible. Please be patient as you will be notified whether or not another section will open up or if more students will be able to get in. Place yourself in the waitlist and if seats become available, the waitlist will be added in order.

I'm an EE or EP major who entered UC San Diego between 2014 and 2016. Do I need to take ECE 108?

Effective Fall 2014, continuing EE and EP majors who have not completed ECE 108 must replace the course with an upper-division engineering, math, or physics course. You will need to inform the ECE Undergraduate Advisors through the VAC which class you plan on using to satisfy this requirement so your degree audit can be updated manually.

I'm a CE major who entered UC San Diego between 2014 and 2022. Do I need to take ECE 108?

CE majors who entered UC San Diego between 2014 and 2022 can replace ECE 108 with a CSE/ECE Elective. You will need to inform the ECE Undergraduate Advisors through the VAC which class you plan on using to satisfy this requirement so your degree audit can be updated manually.

CE majors who enter UC San Diego in fall 2023 and after must take ECE 108.

I want to take ECE 190. What should I do?

In order to take ECE 190, you will need to fill out the ECE 190 Independent Design Enrollment form. The prerequisites for ECE 190 are to be in senior standing and to have completed all of your breadth courses (ECE 100-109). It is okay to take ECE 190 for the following quarter if you are finishing up your breadth course in the present quarter. To get ECE 190 clearance, turn in the completed form to the Undergraduate Advising Office (Jacobs 2700) or email to ece-ugadvising@eng.ucsd. Please notify us in the VAC that you have submitted the form.

How come the lab schedules (i.e., ECE 25, ECE 35, ECE 121A-B, or ECE 125A-B) have not been posted yet? It’s already my second pass and I need to know.

Students are unable to enroll until the lab schedule has been finalized. Lab schedules are generally available during the second pass but may take longer. Students cannot enroll until the lab schedule is available and cannot waitlist until the second pass.

The class I dropped after week 2 had a lab fee. Can I get a refund on my lab fee?

No. Students who drop a lab course before the end of the second week of the quarter are eligible for a refund of the charged lab fee.

Can my depth and design courses overlap?

Yes and no. If your depth requires one of the design courses, you may choose to take another technical elective in place of the design course requirement. You can also choose to take two design courses to one will fulfill your depth requirement and the other will fulfill your design requirement. Regardless of which path you choose, you will still need 2 courses. One course cannot count for two requirements.

Wait List

What is the Wait List Policy?

If a course that you want to enroll in is full, please place yourself on the waitlist. Please note that you cannot waitlist a course during your 1st Pass. Waitlisting is available during the 2nd Pass only. The buttons to ENROLL or WAITLIST will be blacked out. This is normal.

We understand that you need these courses to graduate so please be patient as we work on enlarging enrollment. The Department will do everything we can to accommodate students who are required and want to take our courses. However, some courses have limited enrollment due to the nature of the course and waitlists cannot be accommodated. Add yourself to the waitlist and if seats become available, students will be enrolled in the order they waitlisted. We cannot guarantee that you will get into the course. If you need assistance with an alternate course, please contact us through the Virtual Advising Center.

How come I can't place myself on the wait list?

Waitlisting is only available during the 2nd Pass.

I see that enrollment increased, how come I'm still on the waitlist?

If enrollment limits are increased, it takes the system overnight to process this command. Students will be added in the order they are on the waitlist. 

I received an email that said I had to drop myself from the waitlist and then enroll.  I don't want to drop myself from the waitlist. What should I do?

If you want to secure a seat in the class, you should drop yourself from the waitlist and enroll. The department pre-authorized you to bypass the waitlist in order for you to be enrolled in the class. 

I just saw that I was dropped from the waitlist. What is going on?

You may have been dropped from the waitlist because there was a change in the course (i.e., switched times, switched days). ALWAYS check your email for enrollment updates. During the enrollment period, it is critical that you check your @ucsd email for any updates. This may have an impact on your schedule. The ECE Undergraduate Advising Office will not be able to help you if you miss deadlines indicated in emails sent out.

Major/Minor

Can I minor in another engineering program?

No, per Jacobs School of Engineering policy, you cannot minor in another engineering program. You can minor outside of JSOE. Lower-division courses can overlap between your major and minor. Two upper-division minor courses can overlap. How to Declare a Minor

Can I double major in another engineering program?

No, per Jacobs School of Engineering policy, you cannot double major in another engineering program. You can double major outside of JSOE. Lower-division courses can overlap between your majors. Upper-division courses can overlap but there must be at least 10 upper-division courses unique for each major.  How to Declare a Double Major

Can my classes overlap with both major and minor?

Lower Division courses can overlap with your major and a maximum of 2 Upper Division courses can overlap with your major, in most instances. For more information on overlapping classes, read the Academic Senate Policy on minors (section E).

Can I major and minor in the same department?

No, per Jacobs School of Engineering policy, you cannot minor in the same department. You can minor outside of JSOE.

Transfers

Can I waive ECE 15 if I took a programming course in community college?

No, the ECE Department does not accept C programming courses from community colleges. But, you can take the ECE 15 Waiver Exam to waive the requirement. The exam takes place during Week 0 of the Fall quarter. An announcement with the exact time and location will be sent to all incoming transfer students and posted on the ECE Website in September. The department recommends trying some sample problems found here: ECE 15 Waiver Exam  If you do not know how to do them, the department recommends you take ECE 15.

Can I waive ECE 35 if I took a Circuits course in community college?

No, the ECE Department does not accept circuit courses from community colleges. But, you can take the ECE 35 Waiver Exam to waive the requirement. The exam takes place during Week 0 of the Fall quarter. An announcement with the exact time and location will be sent to all incoming transfer students and posted on the ECE Website in September. The department recommends trying some sample problems found here: ECE 35 Waiver Exam. If you do not know how to do them, the department recommends you take ECE 35.

The transfer course I took is not showing up in my academic history. What do I do?

If you already sent your transcripts and AP Scores to UC San Diego, then the Admissions Office is still processing your transcripts. Transfer academic histories are not updated until mid-August. 

I am transferring from a 4-year college/university, and my courses do not count for anything. What do I do?

Reach out to each individual department regarding the petition process to get course equivalencies for your transferred courses.

ECE Petitions
CSE Petitions
Math Petitions
Physics Petitions

I have heard that I can take CSE 30 in place of ECE 30. Is this true?

You can only replace ECE 30 with CSE 30 if you have taken an equivalent course to CSE 30 (according to assist.org) with a letter grade before transferring/entering into UCSD.

I thought I took MATH 20E. Why is it not showing up on my degree audit?

Contact the Math Department directly at  mathadvising@math.ucsd.edu or through the VAC regarding Math 20E.

I took the CSE 12 equivalent at my community college. Can I use it for ECE 17?

You can only replace ECE 17 with CSE 12 if you have taken an equivalent course to CSE 12 (according to assist.org) with a letter grade prior to transferring/entering into UC San Diego.

Electives

What are Technical and Professional Electives?

For EE, EP, EE & Society majors, Technical Electives are approved upper-division Math, Physics, and Engineering courses. You are allowed to complete a combination of the 3 fields and it does not have to be a sequence. These electives are meant to enhance or explore your technical skills in the ECE or another department.

For EE, EP, EE & Society majors, Professional Electives are typically approved upper-division Math, Physics, and Engineering courses. Professional Electives must be from one department. These electives are meant to help you enhance or explore your professional goals.

Summer Courses

What summer courses will be available?

Core courses that students are required to take are usually offered in the summer. Summer schedules will be up in the Spring quarter. Class offerings will depend on who will be teaching and it will vary every year.

Where can I see which summer courses will be offered?

You can check out the UCSD Summer Session for a preview of courses until they are officially published.

NOTE: For further clarification, please contact us through the Virtual Advising Center via the "Ask A Question" feature.